WRITTEN QUESTION P-1013/02 by Hans-Peter Martin (PSE) to the Commission. Mergers vetted in 2001.
Date: 2002-04-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU control, European Commission, merger, merger control

6.2.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 28 E/63

(2003/C 28 E/068)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1002/02

by María Valenciano Martínez-Orozco (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Endorsement of indicators relating to violence against women

(12 April 2002)

What are the Commission’s specific plans and initiatives as regards to the drawing up of a list of the main
indicators relating to violence against women? How is it intending to ensure that the necessary tasks of
coordination, endorsement and standardisation are carried out as part of the process of gathering and
disseminating data for the purpose of producing statistics and indicators which will provide a proper
picture of the situation as regards violence against women in the EU?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(26 June 2002)

Up until now there has not been a defined demand to collect statistics in order to calculate indicators
relating to violence against women and therefore the Commission does not have the information
requested. However the Danish Presidency plans to develop indicators on violence, based on the activities
of the Spanish Presidency concerning violence against women and Eurostat is prepared to co-operate in
this area. In fact Eurostat plans to start the reflections on the development of statistics in the area of
victimisation, personal security and crime in its work programme of 2003.

(2003/C 28 E/069)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1013/02

by Hans-Peter Martin (PSE) to the Commission

(5 April 2002)

Subject: Mergers vetted in 2001

Every year, the Commission vets mergers in Europe. The number of vettings is evidently rising every year:
still well under 300 in 1999, but well above that figure in 2000.

Can the Commission provide an overview of the mergers it has vetted in recent years, indicating both the
number of vettings and the number of mergers accepted plus a detailed breakdown of the firms vetted?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(17 May 2002)

After seven years of rapid growth in merger activity,
the number of merger notifications to the
Commission declined slightly in 2001, to 335 from 345 in the previous year. In 1999 there had been 292
notifications.

In 2001, the Commission took 332 decisions on the compatibility of the proposed concentrations with the
Common Market, 20 of which followed in depth investigations (five prohibition, five clearances without
conditions and 10 conditional clearance decisions) and 13 of which were conditional clearances at the end
of an initial investigation (‘Phase 1’). The Commission cleared 312 cases in Phase 1. 140 decisions (45 %) of
the first-Phase clearance decisions were taken in accordance to the simplified procedures introduced in
September 2000.
In addition to these 332 decisions, the Commission took seven referral decisions
pursuant to Article 9 of the Merger Regulation (1) referring the assessment of the cases to the jurisdiction of
individual Member States. The Commission opened in depth investigations in 22 cases, three of which
were outstanding at the year end of the year.

C 28 E/64

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2003

A list of all the cases which were cleared conditionally at Phase 1 in 2001, together with those cases into
which the Commission undertook an in-depth investigation is sent direct to the Honourable Member and
to Parliament’s Secretariat. Further anlysis of these cases will be presented to the Parliament when the
Commission presents its Annual Report for 2001.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 of 21 December 1989 on the control of concentrations between

undertakings, OJ L 395, 30.12.1989 (cid:1) whole text republished in OJ L 257, 21.9.1990.

(2003/C 28 E/070)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1023/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 April 2002)

Subject: Public finance data

Will the Commission state which Member States’ budget deficit figures and which Member States’ public
debt figures cannot be certified by Eurostat as being in line with ESA95 and in both cases for which years?

What measures is the Commission taking to remedy matters?

Will the Commission state the nature of Eurostat’s reservations in each case?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(29 April 2002)

Eurostat, as a Commission service, has named, in its press release on deficit and debt in the Union dated
21 March 2002 (1), the Member States for which figures could not be certified due to lack of information
on some statistical issues.

The Commission intends to pursue the issue by asking for additional details and by discussing the issues
bilaterally with Member States. The next notification before the 1 September 2002 should contain certified
data for these Member States.

The nature of Eurostat’s reservations was explained in Eurostat’s above mentioned press release.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/Public/datashop/print-catalogue/EN?catalogue=Eurostat&product=2-21032002-

EN-AP-EN.

(2003/C 28 E/071)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1041/02

by Jules Maaten (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 April 2002)

Subject: Annual company accounts publication requirement (cid:1) internet option

European company law requires business operators to confirm that their annual accounts have been
lodged with their Chamber of Commerce by publishing an announcement in a newspaper specified by
their Member State. Changes in business operations and management also have to be published. In the
Netherlands, Mr Stef Blok, a Member of the Second Chamber of the States-General, has argued that these
requirements place an administrative burden on business operators over and above the publication costs
incurred. In the present state of technology, such paperwork imposes an unnecessary burden on business
and runs counter to the objective of turning Europe into the world’s most dynamic knowledge-based
economy by 2010. Is the European Commission prepared to submit a proposal for this publication
requirement to be simplified by authorising internet publication?